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Ready to quit tobacco?

Are you or a loved one hooked on tobacco? Join the millions who’ve found a good reason to give it up—tobacco use is the second leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for 1 in every 10 adult deaths.

If you’re ready to quit, we can help. Part B covers free counseling sessions as a preventive service to help you quit smoking—you pay nothing if your doctor accepts Medicare’s payment.

If you’ve already been diagnosed with an illness caused or made worse by tobacco use or you take a medicine affected by tobacco, you can continue to get up to 8 face-to-face counseling visits every 12 months. You pay your Part B deductible, and 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. If you get counseling in a hospital outpatient setting, you also pay the hospital a copayment.

Make May 31—World “No Tobacco” Day—your starting point to kick the habit. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and the National Cancer Institute to learn more about tobacco use and how you can overcome it.

Also, watch our video about the World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day campaign and how Medicare supports it.

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The Medicare Blog

For Supplement Insurance Quotes, visit:

http://www.medicarebyphone.com

National Women’s Health Week: The Dangers of Using Tobacco Products

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The Medicare Blog

For Supplement Insurance Quotes, visit:

http://www.medicarebyphone.com

Protect yourself from Hepatitis B

Are you at risk for getting Hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. Approximately 2,000–4,000 people die every year from Hepatitis B-related liver disease.

The Hepatitis B virus spreads through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person. People can also get infected by coming in contact with a contami­nated object, where the virus can live for up to 7 days. Hepatitis B can range from being a mild illness, lasting a few weeks (acute), to a serious long-term illness (chronic) that can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.

The best way to prevent Hepatitis B is by getting the Hepatitis B vaccine, which is usually given as 3 shots over a 6-month period. You need to get all 3 shots for complete protection.

Medicare covers a series of shots for free if you’re at medium or high risk for Hepatitis B. Your risk increases if you have hemophilia (a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood doesn’t clot normally), End-Stage Renal Disease, or certain other conditions. You may also be at a higher risk if you live with someone who has Hepatitis B or if you’re a healthcare worker and have frequent contact with blood or body fluids. Ask your doctor if these shots are right for you.

May is Hepatitis Awareness month. To find out more about preventing and treating Hepatitis B, visit the Centers for Disease Control.

Also, watch our short YouTube video about Medicare’s efforts to prevent and treat hepatitis.

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The Medicare Blog

For Supplement Insurance Quotes, visit:

http://www.medicarebyphone.com

Are your bones weak?

Do you know someone older who accidentally bumped their arm and ended up needing a sling? This type of injury could have been caused by osteoporosis. Ten million Americans have osteoporosis, and 34 million more have low bone mass. Osteoporosis means your bones have lost density or mass. As your bones become less dense, they become weaker.

People can’t feel their bones getting weaker. So, you may not know that you have osteoporosis until you break a bone. A person with osteoporosis can fracture a bone from a minor fall, or in serious cases, from a simple action such as a sneeze.

While people of all ages and backgrounds can develop osteoporosis, you’re at higher risk if you’re:

• White
• Older than 50
• Small in body size
• Eat a diet low in calcium
• Not physically active
• A post-menopausal woman

Medicare can help you prevent or detect osteoporosis at an early stage, when treatment works best. Talk to your doctor about getting a bone mass measurement–it may be free.

Also, take steps to keep your bones healthy. Get the calcium and vitamin D you need every day, and do regular weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises.

May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month—learn more about what puts you at risk for osteoporosis and how to prevent or treat it at the National Osteoporosis Foundation or the Centers for Disease Control. Also, watch our short YouTube video about Medicare’s efforts to curb osteoporosis.

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The Medicare Blog

For Supplement Insurance Quotes, visit:

http://www.medicarebyphone.com

Check Your Blood Pressure Regularly

Most of us have a friend or relative who has had high blood pressure at some point in their life—it affects the health of approximately 68 million Americans. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, 2 of the 3 leading causes of death.

You may even have high blood pressure, so it’s important to get your blood pressure checked routinely. Medicare can help—we cover blood pressure screening as part of your “Welcome to Medicare” visit and your Yearly Wellness Visit—at no cost to you.

There are lots of ways you can check your blood pressure regularly, to keep on top of any changes between wellness visits. Check your local newspaper’s events calendar for local senior centers or libraries offering free blood pressure screenings. Visit health fairs that come to your community, where nurses may be on duty to check your blood pressure. Some supermarkets and drug stores offer a free automated machine next to their pharmacies, so why not use it the next time you pick up your prescriptions? You’ll feel good knowing you’re paying attention to an important part of your health.

May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month—learn more about how you can lower your blood pressure.

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The Medicare Blog

For Supplement Insurance Quotes, visit:

http://www.medicarebyphone.com

Patient survey results help you choose a home health agency

By Marilyn Tavenner, Acting Administrator

The day is finally here – weeks after a fall that resulted in a broken hip, you’re ready to go home. You know you’re going to continue to need treatment and services at home, but where do you find a resource to help you through this next step on the road to recovery?

Now there’s an objective and meaningful way to compare other patients’ actual experiences with home health agencies and services—the Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) Survey – and we’ve just released the first set of survey results on our Home Health Compare page.

People with Medicare that are getting home health services fill out this short survey that asks about the care they got from the home health agency in the last 2 months, how they’d rate the care, and how strongly they’d recommend that agency.

The initial survey results cover the period from October 2010 to September 2011. Most people who got home health care from Medicare-certified home health agencies during that time said they got the care they needed. In fact:

• 84% of patients gave their home health agency a rating of 9 or 10 on a scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
• 80% of patients said “yes, they would definitely recommend the home health agency to friends.”
• 87% of patients said their home health team provided care in a professional way.
• 86% said their home health team communicated well with them.
• 83% said their home health team discussed medicines, pain, and home safety.

By making the results public, we help keep home health agencies openly accountable and continuously working to improve their quality of care.

Let Medicare make it easier for you on your road to recovery.  We can help you make an informed decision when choosing a home health agency that best meets your needs—visit our Home Health Compare for the latest patient survey results.

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The Medicare Blog

For Supplement Insurance Quotes, visit:

http://www.medicarebyphone.com

More than 30 million with Medicare used free preventive services in 2011

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the Affordable Care Act provided approximately 54 million Americans with at least one new free preventive service in 2011 through their private health insurance plans. Secretary Sebelius also announced that an estimated 32.5 million people with Medicare received at least one free preventive benefit in 2011, including the new Annual Wellness Visit, since the health reform law was enacted.

Together, this means an estimated 86 million Americans were helped by health reform’s prevention coverage improvements. The new data were released in two new reports from HHS.

“Americans of all ages can now get the preventive services they need, like mammograms and the new Annual Wellness Visit, free of charge, as a result of the new health care law,” Secretary Sebelius said. “With more people taking advantage of these benefits, more lives can be saved, and costly, and often burdensome, diseases can be prevented or caught earlier.”

The Affordable Care Act requires many insurance plans to provide coverage without cost sharing to enrollees for a variety of preventive health services, such as colonoscopy screening for colon cancer, Pap smears and mammograms for women, well-child visits, and flu shots for all children and adults. The law also makes proven preventive services free for most people on Medicare.

The report on private health insurance coverage also examined the expansion of free preventive services in minority populations.  The results showed that an estimated 6.1 million Latinos, 5.5 million Blacks, 2.7 million Asian Americans and 300,000 Native Americans with private insurance received expanded preventive benefits coverage in 2011 as a result of the new health care law.

The report discussing Medicare preventive services found that more than 25.7 million Americans in traditional Medicare received free preventive services in 2011. The report also looked at Medicare Advantage plans and found that 9.3 million Americans – 97 percent of those in individual Medicare Advantage plans – were enrolled in a plan that offered free preventive services.  Assuming that people in Medicare Advantage plans utilized preventive services at the same rate as those with traditional Medicare, an estimated 32.5 million people benefited from Medicare’s coverage of prevention with no cost sharing.

The full report on expanded preventive benefits in private health insurance is available at http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/PreventiveServices/ib.shtml.  The report on expanded preventive benefits in Medicare and other ways that the Affordable Care Act strengthens Medicare is available at http://www.cms.gov/newsroom/.

En Español

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The Medicare Blog

Fighting Improper Payments And Fraud – Protecting Taxpayer Dollars

By Marilyn Tavenner, Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Fighting fraud and waste in the health care system is a top priority for the Obama Administration.  We are committed to using all resources at our disposal in these efforts – and they are paying off.

Just last week, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) released an updated annual report showing that in FY 2011 anti-fraud efforts have recovered more than $ 4.1 billion in fraudulent Medicare payments – the second year in a row recovery efforts reached this unprecedented level.  Compare this to just $ 2.14 billion recovered in FY 2008.  Prosecutions are way up too:  the number of individuals charged with fraud increased from 821 in fiscal year 2008 to 1,430 in fiscal year 2011 – nearly a 75 percent increase.

But we know we need keep doing more to end the “pay and chase” model of fighting fraud.  We need to stop fraud and waste from happening in the first place.  Today we’re taking an important step to protect taxpayer dollars by reducing improper payments to Medicare Advantage plans, an action that is estimated to save $ 370 million in the first audit year alone.  By improving the way we audit Medicare Advantage contracts, we will reduce the payment error rate for the Medicare Advantage program  and that saves money for Medicare.

We are also using new, advanced techniques to fight fraud.  Starting last year, we have been using “predictive modeling” technology – similar to technology used by credit card companies to identify and fight fraud nationwide.  This effort is just getting started but it’s already making a difference. Since the predictive modeling system was activated, CMS has stopped, prevented or identified $ 20 million in payments through November 2011 that should not have been made.

In addition, predictive modeling has identified 2,500 leads for further investigation, 600 preliminary law enforcement cases under review and resulted in 400 direct interviews with providers who would not have otherwise been contacted.

Predictive modeling won’t reach its full potential in overnight, but it’s already making an incredible difference and will do even more in the weeks, months and years ahead.

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The Medicare Blog

Get Regular Screenings for Colorectal Cancer

Did you know colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States among cancers that affect both men and women?? If everyone 50 or older got screened regularly, as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.

 In most cases, colorectal cancer develops from precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon or rectum. Fortunately, screening tests can find these polyps, so you can get them removed before they turn into cancer. Screening tests also can find colorectal cancer early, when treatment works best.

 It’s National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – do what you can to reduce your risk for colorectal cancer. If you’re 50 or older, or have a personal or family history of colorectal issues, make sure you get screened for colorectal cancer regularly. Don’t worry about the cost—Medicare covers a variety of colorectal cancer screenings, and you pay nothing for most tests.

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The Medicare Blog

5 Ways to Become an Informed Medicare Consumer

By Marilyn Tavenner, Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Each day, you make decisions about your finances, health, privacy, and more. It’s important to protect yourself and make the best choices for you, especially when it comes to your Medicare.

During National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), non-profit organizations and government agencies give people like you information on how to take advantage of your rights and make better-informed choices. At Medicare, we’re here to help you become an informed Medicare consumer. Here are 5 things you can do:

1. Know your rights. As a person with Medicare, you have certain rights and protections designed to help protect you and make sure you get the health care services the law says you can get.
2. Protect your identity. Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your consent to commit fraud or other crimes. Keep the following personal information safe:

• Your name
• Your Social Security number
• Your Medicare number (or your membership card if you’re in a Medicare Advantage or other Medicare health plan)
• Your credit card and bank account numbers

Get more information on how to protect yourself from identity theft.

1. Help fight Medicare fraud. Medicare fraud diverts money from the Medicare program each year, which means higher health care costs for you. Learn how to spot and report fraud.
2. Get involved with other seniors with the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). The SMP educates and empowers people with Medicare to take an active role in detecting and preventing health care fraud and abuse.
3. Make informed Medicare choices. Each year during the fall Open Enrollment Period (October 15-December 7), review your plan to make sure it’s going to meet your needs for the following year. If you’re not satisfied with your current plan, you can switch during the Open Enrollment Period.

Visit NCPW to learn more about the campaign, see which agencies and organizations are able to help you, and to find out if there are any NCPW activities happening in your area.

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The Medicare Blog

Making Medicare claims and benefits statement clearer, simpler

As part of National Consumer Protection Week, the Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Marilyn Tavenner, announced the redesign of the statement that informs Medicare beneficiaries about their claims for Medicare services and benefits.  The redesigned statement, known as the Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), will be available online and, starting in 2013, mailed out quarterly to beneficiaries.

This MSN redesign is part of a new initiative, “Your Medicare Information: Clearer, Simpler, At Your Fingertips,” which aims to make Medicare information clearer, more accessible, and easier for beneficiaries and their caregivers to understand.  CMS will take additional actions this year to make information about benefits, providers, and claims more accessible and easier to understand for seniors and people with disabilities who have Medicare.  This MSN redesign reflects more than 18 months of research and feedback from beneficiaries to provide enhanced customer service and respond to suggestions and input.

“Consumer protection starts with making sure consumers not only get timely and accurate information, but that they understand what services they’re receiving from Medicare,” said Acting Administrator Tavenner.  “The new Medicare Summary Notice empowers Medicare’s seniors and people with disabilities.  The statement is easier to understand and navigate, and makes clear what information to check and how to report potential fraud.  The new MSN also makes it easier for people with Medicare to understand their benefits and file appeals if a claim is denied.”

To see a side-by-side comparison of the former and redesigned MSNs, please visit: http://www.cms.gov/apps/files/msn_changes.pdf 

The redesign of the MSN includes several features not currently available to Medicare beneficiaries with the current MSN:

• A clear notice on how to check the form for important facts and potential fraud;
• An easy-to-understand snapshot of the beneficiary’s deductible status, a list of providers they saw, and whether their claims for Medicare services were approved.
• Clearer language, including consumer-friendly descriptions for medical procedures;
• Definitions of all terms used in the form;
• Larger fonts throughout to make it easier to read;
• Information on preventive services available to Medicare beneficiaries.

Starting later this week, the redesigned MSN will be available to beneficiaries on mymedicare.gov, Medicare’s secure online service for personalized information regarding Medicare benefits and services; and, in early 2013, paper copies of the redesigned MSN will start to replace the current version being mailed.

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The Medicare Blog

Join the fight against Medicare fraud

Medicare fraud affects everyone. You can team up with Medicare to help.

Our Senior Medicare Patrol volunteers are teaching people like you how to spot, report, and stop fraud, and protect themselves from identity theft.

Here are some things you can do:

• Guard your Medicare and Social Security numbers. Treat them like you would treat your credit cards.
• Hang up the phone if someone calls and asks for your Medicare number, Social Security number, or bank or credit card information. We will NEVER call and ask for this information, and we will NEVER call you or come to your home uninvited to sell Medicare products.
• Be suspicious of anyone who offers you free medical equipment or services and then requests your Medicare number. It’s illegal, and it’s not worth it!
• Do not let anyone borrow or pay you to use your Medicare ID card or your identity.
• Check your Medicare claims for errors. Look at your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or statements from your Medicare plan. You can also check www.MyMedicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) as soon as your claims have been processed. The sooner you see and report errors, the sooner we can stop fraud. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE to report any suspected fraud.

Watch a video about how you can help Medicare crack down on fraud.

Learn more about spotting and reporting fraud, and get tips on protecting yourself from identity theft.

Find out about Senior Medicare Patrol activities in your area.

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The Medicare Blog

Could you be saving money?

Many people could be saving money on premiums and prescriptions, and don’t even know it. Recently, a 90-year-old woman in Oklahoma came to her local State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (SHIP) because she was unable to pay for her prescriptions and her Medicare Part D premium.

A counselor at the SHIP helped her apply for Extra Help and found her a new Part D plan that better fit her needs. Now she spends no money on her premium and very little on her prescriptions – saving her thousands of dollars over the course of the year. She is just one of many people that can save money – and you could be one too.

Medicare Savings Programs

If your monthly income is less than $ 1,277 ($ 1,723 as a couple), you may be able to save money with these 4 different Medicare Savings Programs that help pay for premiums and more:

• Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program
• Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB)
• Qualified Individual (QI) Program
• Qualified Disabled and Working Individuals (QDWI)

Each program has a different monthly income limit – get more information about the 2012 limits and how to find out if you qualify.

Extra Help

Many people with limited income and resources may qualify for Medicare’s “Extra Help” program, but they must apply to find out. You could be one of them. You may qualify if you have up to $ 16,755 in yearly income ($ 22,695 for a married couple) and up to $ 13,070 in resources ($ 26,120 for a married couple). Get more information about Medicare’s “Extra Help” program.

You can get help with Part D prescription drug coverage premiums, deductibles and copayments. This means you don’t have to go without medications because you can’t afford them, and can get help just like our 90-year-old friend in Oklahoma.

It’s easy and free to apply for “Extra Help.”

Save money, live well, and share the information.

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The Medicare Blog

Cutting the clutter – the newly designed Medicare Summary Notice

It’s a whole lot easier to read and understand your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), thanks to a recently completed redesign. You’ll see a brand new format when you check your MSN at MyMedicare.gov.

MyMedicare.gov gives you faster access to your Medicare claims information—you can check it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Customize your MSN to see procedures broken down by single claim, or by a time period you choose, and print out your own statement anytime. Reviewing your MSN online means a shorter wait to see what you were charged for health care services, medical supplies or equipment, and how much Medicare paid.

We want the MSN to be something that makes it easier for you to find and understand your Medicare claims information.  We spent more than a year improving it. We did one-one-one interviews and focus groups with people like you, and used their feedback to improve the design and language.

As a recent joint Kaiser Health News / Washington Post article pointed out, we’ve also redesigned the MSN to make it easier for you to help us prevent fraud and find billing errors. Did you know you could get a reward of up to $ 1,000 for a tip that leads to uncovering fraud? Remember, you’re our best defense against fraud, so check your MSN for services or items you didn’t get.

Here are some of the improvements you’ll see in your new MSN:

•          Larger text size and wider spacing to make reading easier
•          Plain, concise language you can understand quickly
•          A “snapshot” of
  •    how much of your Part A or Part B deductible you’ve paid so far this year
  •    the providers you saw during the reporting period
  •    whether Medicare approved all your claims
•          Brief descriptions of your medical procedures
•          Easy-to-understand definitions for terms you might not know
•          A checklist to help you make sure you’re getting the most from your Medicare
•          Information on how to report fraud, preventive medical services, and important Medicare reminders
•          Easy instructions for how to file an appeal

You’ll start seeing these changes in early 2013 in the mailed copy of your MSN, but why wait? Visit MyMedicare.gov and start using the newly redesigned MSN online today.

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The Medicare Blog